Rail-joint.



No. 798,912. PATENTED SEPT. 5. 1905. S. MARTIN & U. U. ULAM.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION IILED MAR.2.1905.

UTwU Ulam. 8% 6 4404 Snow-M,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL MARTIN AND URA U. ULAH, OF ROGERS, OHIO, ASSIHNORS OF ONF-FOURTH TO HARVEY MOKIBBEN, OF ROGERS, OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed March 2. 1905. Serial No. 248,178-

To r/.// IUIMIHL it nuoy concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL MARTIN and URA U. ULAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Rogers, in the county of Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-joints, and has for its objects to provide a simple inexpensive device of this character in which the parts, and particularly the fish-plates, will be braced and strengthened, thus to render the joint as a whole firm and durable and one wherein the nuts applied to the connecting-bolts will be securely locked against movement, thereby obviating loosening of the nuts, and consequently the joint, owing to vibration of the parts.

A further object of the invention is to extend the sets of bolts at opposite sides of the joint in relatively reverse directions to thus equalize the strain upon the parts and provide a pair of locking members arranged, respectively, on opposite sides of the rails and each adapted for looking all of the adjacent nuts against movement.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rail-joint embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the locking members or bars.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 designate the railsections assembled in endwise relation and each comprising a tread 2, a web 3, and a base 4:, which, as usual, projects on opposite sides of the web 3 and rests upon ties 5.

Disposed upon opposite sides of the rails are fish-plates 6, which overlap the joint 7, formed at the meeting ends of the railsections 1. These fish-plates, which are secured in place by means of bolts 8, equipped with removable nuts 9, have horizontally-disposed flanges 10, adapted to overlie the base 4, said flanges 10 being provided at their outer edges with a series of notches or recesses 11, arranged at spaced intervals longitudinally of the lisliplates and constituting seats for the reception of spikes 12, by means of which the parts are secured to the ties 5.

The foregoing parts are all of the usual or any appropriate construction and material except that the bolts 8 are arranged in two sets or groups disposed, respectively, at opposite sides of the joint '7 and extended in reverse directions through the rails and fish-plates, whereby the nuts 9 on one set of bolts are situated at one side and those on the other set of bolts at the opposite side of the rail, it be ing apparent from this arrangement that the strains sustained by the belts in practice will be uniformly distributed between the sets of bolts and more effectually equalized at opposite sides of the rail-joint.

For locking the nuts 9 against movement there is provided a pair of members or bars 13, disposed, respectively, on opposite sides of the rails to extend longitudinally of the latter. These bars, which are of a shape for their normally lower faces to conform to and lie flush upon the upper faces of the adjacent fish-plate flanges 10, each has a continuous and uninterrupted flattened bearing edge 14, designed to extend beneath and in contact with the edges of all the adjacent nuts 9, while the outer edge of each bar is provided at longitudinally-spaced intervals with notches or recesses 15, certain ones of which register with the notches or recesses 11 in the edge of the adjacent fish-plate for the reception of the fastening-spikes 12, whereby the latter subserve the additional function of securing the bars 13 against transverse or longitudinal displacement.

In practice, the rails and fish-plates having been assembled in the usual manner upon the ties 5, the locking members or bars 13 are entered longitudinally above the fish-plate flanges 10 and beneath the nuts 9 for locking the latter against movement, the bars being finally secured in place through the medium of the spikes 12, as heretofore explained. .It is to be noted that each bar serves as a common means for locking all of the nuts on the adjacent side of the rail and, further, as a means for strengthening the companion fishplate, this latter function being due to the fact that the bar is wedged tightly beneath the adjacent nuts and has its lower face formed to seat snugly upon the upper face of the fishplate, as before explained. It will also be observed that owing to the locking-bars each having a continuous uninterrupted flattened bearing edge they may be moved longitudinally into engaging position and that owing to the bars being susceptible of longitudinal movement they will in the event of the nuts being slightly out of alinement effect the proper adjustment of the nuts during movement into engagement therewith, thus obviating necessity-for accurately setting the nuts to permit engagement of the bar with the latter.

From theforegoing itis apparent'that there is produced a simple inexpensive device admirably adapted for the attainment'of the ends in view,it being understood that minor changes in the details herein set forth may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is In a rail-joint, a pair of rail-sections, fishplates applied thereto, transverse bolts connecting the plates with the rails, nuts tapped onto the ends of the bolts at one side of the rail, a locking-bar having a continuous uninterrupted bearing edge disposed beneath'and adapted to bear upon the lower edges of all the nuts, said bar being movable longitudinally to engaging position and provided at its outer edge with recesses adapted to register with corresponding recesses formed in an underlying base-flange, and fastening members 

